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My 15 minutes as a New Ager.

I had posted a blurb similar to this on reddit.com awhile back, and it didn't spark much discussion. This was an important part of my life, and I need to talk to some rational-like-minded people about it! I've spent too much time trying to forget about it, and I really need to talk about it.

Because of living in a house full of metaphysicists, in California, I realized that all evidence-free beliefs was heedless nonsense. And in some cases dangerous.

I grew up on Vancouver Island, Canada (Now live in Halifax). To make a long story short, at 17 (I'm now 24), I graduated high school early and moved down to California for a year. I had met a girl online, and after a couple of back-and-forth trips, moved down permanently to live with her family. It was a huge change for me, but the biggest change was the introduction to "metaphysics".

Now there's a ton of applications for this word. How they used it was the explanation that, with positive thinking, the universe gives back to you. This is true in a very PHYSICAL down-to-earth kinda way. Obviously being positive is probably going to get you further in life rather than say-- being negative. This is common sense. But these people practiced it to the extreme.

They thought Jesus was a metaphysicist, and that with enough positive thinking you can literally do anything. One insane example I can think of, is the Mom convinced everyone in the house that "the banks screwed up" and that her mortgage was gone. She held a massive party and went through great lengths to convince everyone that she was telling the truth. Later I caught her filing for bankruptcy. I confronted her and she told me that she was testing to see, with enough positive thinking, if we could make this happen.

By lying to her family.

She convinced herself that it didn't work because not all of us believed. This made me not only a reaffirmed atheist, but anti-theistic as well. That was one example, but there were many many others. Critical thinking should be a class taught in Elementary school.

Another point I should mention was that I was nearly starving. At 6 feet, I was around 130 lbs and the change in social and physical environment made me have an emotional break down (partly because I wasn't eating enough/drinking enough-- no money). I remember one night I decided I wanted to go home, and because I was paying the Mom a large portion of the rent, and she was unemployed (LARGELY because of her beliefs. She believed with positive thinking, money would just come to her), obviously the Mom didn't want me to leave.

Anyway, one night I had been awake for around 40 hours, starving, homesick, depressed-- and when I told them I wanted to leave, they sat me down and told me that I was meant to be there. That things happen for a reason, and I shouldn't leave. That because I was a good person, good things will happen there for me... I remember for 15 minutes I believed them. Completely. It all made sense. I believed in that garbage for a solid 15 minutes. When I snapped out of it, and realized I wasn't thinking clearly-- that I was being brainwashed (for lack of a better word), I left shortly after.

This is illusive to death-bed conversions, and a VERY real thing.

Just so you know, everything's cool now! I'm not starving anymore. I make short films, and short cartoons, play bass guitar, and am a weapons engineering technician in the Canadian navy.

Any other stories out there from ex-New-Agers or at least people who've had their lives negatively affected by New Age dogma? Anyone else almost convinced by a religion?

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Grace Fitzpatrick on June 8, 2011 at 5:57pm

OMGosh, I didn't know there were New Age cults, but that surely sounds like one. It looks like the Mom failed to convince the bank not paying and thinking positive would pay off her debt. I've known some New Agers, but none that kooky. I'm glad you're out of there, safe and doing well. I've dabbled in New Age, spiritualism and some of that junk, but I never had a really bad experience with it. That sounds like the ultimate bad New Age experience.

Permalink Reply by Max Bjork on June 8, 2011 at 6:36pm

Haha totally! I thought it might be a pretty original story. New Age religions seem so harmless. I really didn't know that I was living with a cult until it was too late. There's really no other words for it. I was living in a small house, with 10 people and about 20 animals. It was disgusting. All of them preaching the same garbage.

I didn't find it that weird because my parents are foster parents (I'm their real son), so I was always living with a bunch of people growing up, with a ridiculous amount of foster brothers and sisters (great experience actually).

What New Age stuff did you get into?

Permalink Reply by Grace Fitzpatrick on June 8, 2011 at 10:19pm

ESP, crystals, nothing too scary. I had a get a boyfriend crystal. I did get asked out a lot when I wore it, but only by guys I thought were really strange. LOL! Based on my experiences, I cannot recommend the get a boyfriend or the good luck crystals.

Permalink Reply by Prog Rock Girl on June 8, 2011 at 9:08pm

New Age and other of what I consider "disorganized religions", are more prone to cults b/c they have less centralized beliefs and it's easier for any crazy person to make up their own beliefs. If they're charismatic enough, they can dupe other people.

Permalink Reply by Max Bjork on June 9, 2011 at 3:13pm

Very good point. I find these disorganized religions end up taking bits and pieces from a bunch of different religious dogma, and believing whatever fits... which is likely how all organized religions start. Proof of this is of course the similarities with Jesus and Horus, as well as a few other gods.

Permalink Reply by mike h. on June 8, 2011 at 6:08pm

I think everyone has had some experience comparable. NA, AA, and others are just a couple that most society actually acknowledges as healthy...I read this from a fellow member, it says it nicely...

"watch out for the psychos who think they fulfill their spiritual claims, using nonspiritual means. People who use superstition as a means of control don't like having their power challenged."

Permalink Reply by Max Bjork on June 8, 2011 at 6:30pm

Awesome quote! What was he/she referring to? Did they have a similar experience?

Permalink Reply by mike h. on June 8, 2011 at 6:39pm

For the life of me, I cannot remember who wrote that (and it was yesterday!). If memory serves at all, the subject was along your lines except put a different way....I know when I had these type experiences, I had to question myself on my gullability and neediness/insecurity. Just why was I around these types, what was I getting out of it. I think alot, therefore prone to ask myself why I think like I do...LOL

Permalink Reply by Max Bjork on June 8, 2011 at 6:51pm

Haha no problem!

Did you/do you feel embarrassed about it? I've always been pretty rational, and for me it's sooooo embarrassing! I was an idiot for staying there so long!

Permalink Reply by mike h. on June 8, 2011 at 6:59pm

Of course I was embarrassed. But then I found out that I was not unique, everyone feels this, and quit comparing myself to everyone else..Hey its ok!!! Learn from it, and laugh about. Believe me, the experience will come in handy later on.

Permalink Reply by Prog Rock Girl on June 8, 2011 at 9:11pm

Hey, you were just 17. Embarrassment just keeps people from talking about it, and talking about it can help others stay out of the same mistakes.

I love the logic of "you're here, so you're meant to be here". Is that a valid reason to stay at every crappy job and relationship too? I mean how do you tell when it's "meant" and when it isn't?

Permalink Reply by Natalie A Sera on June 8, 2011 at 7:46pm